Automatic regulator for electric generators.



No. 732,238. PATENTED JUNE so, 1908.

w. A. TURBAYNE. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR ELECTRIC GENERATORS.

PPLIOATION P1 D JULY 19. 1902. A Ln 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 30 W. A. TURBAY'NE. v AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR ELEGTRIO GENERATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19-, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 110 MODEL.

Wt 272128385: 67%. ma W No. 732,238. PATENTED JUNE so, 1903. I w. A. TURBAYNR. AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR ELECTRIC GENERATORS.

AYPLIO'ATION FILED JULY 19l 1902.

I0 IODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM A. TURBAYNE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES M. GOULD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR ELECTRIC GENERATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,238, dated June 30, 1903.

Application filed July 19,1902. Serial No. 116,207. (No model.)

To call whom it may concern:

Be it known that' 1, WILLIAM A. TUR- BAYNE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Regulators for Electric Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic regulator for electric generators, and is more particularly directed to improvementsin the regulater described in United States Letters Patent No. 705,487, granted to Charles M. Gould July 22, 1902, in connection with an electriclighting apparatus for railway-cars in which the electric current is generated by a dynamo mounted under the car and driven from one of the car-axles by a belt or the like. As the speed of the car-axle has a considerable range of variation in the usual operation of the car, it is desirable in order to maintaina practically constant output of the dynamo to drive its armature at a practically constant speed. Briefly stated, this is accomplished in the apparatus described in said application, as follows: The dynamo is mounted to move toward and from the driving car-axle, and an electric motor and connections are provided, which move the dynamo toward the car-axle to slacken the driving-belt, so that it will slip and decrease the speed of the dynamo-armature when the speed of the car-axle is greater than necessary for the normal operation of the dynamo and which move the dynamo in the opposite direction to tighten the belt when the speed of the car-axle decreases to or below the speed required for the normal operation of the dynamo. The motor is driven in one direction by a current from the dynamo, and a reversing mechanism actuated by a solenoid is provided for determining the direction of movement of the dynamo. The solenoid is controlled by a current generated by the dynamo and operates the reversing mechanism to change the direction of movement of the dynamo when the output of the dynamo rises above or falls below a predetermined normal value. If the car-axle rotates at an abnormally slow speed for a considerable timeas, for instance, when the car is moving slowly the other hand, the car-axle is rotated at an abnormally high speed for a considerable length of tiu1eas, for instance, when the car is run very rapidly for some distance the dynamo might be moved so near to the driving car-axle as to entirely stop the rotation of the dynamo-armature or injure or break some part of the apparatus.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple mechanism whereby the 6 motor forshiftingthedynamois thrown outof operation before the dynamo has been moved in either direction to such an extent as to interfere with the proper operation of the apparatus. In the apparatus hereinafter described this is accomplished by introducing into the electric circuit for operating the motor a limit-switch, which is operated by the shifting dynamocarriage to break the motorcircuit and stop the motor before the dynamo has been shifted too greata distance in either direction.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation of the motor, solenoid, and associated parts, showing the inclosing casing therefor in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section through the solenoid. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the operating ratchets and pawls for the shifting-screw. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view, partly in section, of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation showing the motor, pawl-lever, and operating 0 connections. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation in line 7 7, Fig. 5, showing thelimit-switch. Fig.

8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating theelectrioal connections.

The regulating apparatus,which is fully de- 5 scribed in my said application, briefly stated, is constructed and operates as follows:

A represents the dynamo, B the driving car-axle, and b the driving-belt, which runs around pulleys on the car-axle and dynamo- 10c armature shaft to drive the latter. The dynamo is hung by swinging links c from a carriage C, which is mounted to slide toward and from the car-axle on guide-bars a, suspended below the car-bottom.

E represents a shifting screw-shaft, which is journaled in a suitable bearing and has its threaded portion engagingin a screw-threaded openingin a lug c on the dynamo-carriage. The shaft has fixed thereto two ratchet-wheels F and G, the teeth of which extend in opposite directions.

H represents an oscillating pawl-lever pivoted concentric with the shifting-screw and carrying a double pawl I, which is pivoted on the pawl -lever and is provided with oppositely-projecting noses t' 11, adapted to cooperate, respectively, with the ratchet-wheels F and G. The pawl-lever is oscillated by an electric motor J, the armature-shaft of which is provided with a worm j, meshing with a worm -wheel j, which is provided with a crank-pin entering a slot in one arm of the pawl-lever. When the pawl-lever is oscillated, if the pawl-nose 't' is in engagement with its ratchet-wheel F, the shifting-screw will be turned to the right and the dynamo shifted toward the car-axle. If the other pawl-nose 'i is in engagement with its ratchet-wheel G, the shifting-screw will be turned in the opposite direction and the dynamo moved away from the car-axle.

K represents a solenoid for shifting the double pawl to throw one or the other of its noses into engagement with the teeth of its cooperating ratchet-wheel. The core it of the solenoid is connected to one arm of a lever 75, the other arm of which is connected to one end of a spring 70 fixed at its other end to the double pawl. W hen the solenoid-core is in its lowest position, the pawl-nose i will be in operative relation to its ratchet-wheel G and the nose 2' raised out of operative position. The oscillation of the pawl-lever by the motor will then turn the shifting-screw to the left and ment with their ratchet-wheels and the pawl-' lever will oscillate without operating the shiftlug-screw.

The electrical circuits for energizing the solenoid-coil and operating the motor are controlled by a centrifugal governor on the dyname-shaft, which operates cut-outs, as presently described. These parts are shown in the diagrammatic view, Fig. 8, and are as follows: L represents the centrifugal governor, and M a movable switch-arm operated by the governor and provided with switchblades m m. n n n n n are contact-plates arranged opposite to the switch-blades m in.

0 represents the lamps or other translating devices, and P the storage battery for maintaining the lights when the dynamo is out of action or is not running at a sufficieut speed for the desired voltage. When the dynamoshaft reaches a predetermined desired speed, the centrifugal governor is operated to move the switch-blade m against the contacts n 'n, which project nearer to the switch-arm than the other contacts. The batterycurrent then flows from the positive pole of the battery through wire q, contact 91', switch-blade. m, contact '11, field-winding A of the dynamo, wire q, and coil of the solenoid K back to the negative pole of the battery. The dynamofield is thus energized and the dynamo generates a current which flows from the positive brush of the dynamo through the motor-circuit r r and motor J back to the negative brush of the dynamo. This current starts the motor, which oscillates the pawl-lever, and the nose 'i' of the pawl being down in engagement with its ratchet-wheel G rotates the shifting-screw to the left, so as to move the dynamo away from the car-axle and tighten the belt. The speed of the dynamoshaft is then quickened sufficiently to cause the centrifugal governor to throw the switcharm into contact with all of the contact-plates. The current generated by the dynamo then flows from the positive brush of the dynamo through contact 11 switch-blade 4%, contact a, wire q to the battery and lights, and back through the coil of the solenoid K, wire q, contact n, switch-blade m, contact a to the negative brush of the dynamo. Current also flows through the motor-circuit, as before described, and from the positive brush through contact n switch-blade m, contact 11., field A of the dynamo, wire q, contact a, switchblade m, contact a back to negative brush of the dynamo. When the dynamo-shaft attains the desired normal speed, the strength of the current passing through the solenoidcoil is sufficient to raise the core until both noses of the pawl are out of operative relation with their ratchet-wheels, as indicated in Fig. 2. If the strength of this-current is augmented by an increased speed of the caraxle and dynamo-shaft beyond what is necessary for the load on the work-circuit, the energization of the solenoid is increased and its core is caused to move high enough to throw the nose i of the pawl down into operative relation with its ratchet-wheel. The shifting-screw is then rotated to the right and the dynamo shifted toward the car-axle, so asto slacken the belt and permit "it to slip, thus decreasing the speed of the dynamoshaft and bringing the strength of the current back to the normal.

The limit-switch for preventing an abnormal or harmful movement of the dynamo toward and from the driving car-axle is shown at S, Figs. 1, 5, 7, and 8. of any usual or preferred construction. As shown, it comprises a fixed contact-plate s The switch may be and a pivoted switch-lever 3, adapted to be moved to make and break contact with the fixed plate. The contact-plate is connected to one terminal and thejournal of the switchlever to the other terminal of the motor-circuit r r, as indicated in Fig. 8. The switchlever is yieldingly held in contact with the fixed contact-plate to close the motor-circuit by suitable meanssuch, for instance, as a spring 5 coiled about the pivot for the lever and acting to return the latter to a central position in contact with the fixed plate when it is swung to either side. The switch is so located that the lever stands in the path of and is adapted to be engaged and moved by two trip devices which are movable with the dynamo toward and from the driving caraXle. In the construction shown in the drawings the switch is supported on a board or block 15, which is secured adj ustably to one of the guide-rods for the dynamo-carriage by a clamp or bracket t of any suitable construction. The trip devices are in the form of pins or bolts 25 adjustably clamped by nuts in a longitudinally-slotted bar 25 which is fixed to the dynamo-carriage parallel with and adjacent to the guide-bar therefor on which the switch is supported. The trip-pins are arranged on opposite sides of the switch-lever and are adapted to engage an insulated block on the lower end of the lever to swing the same. The trip-pins are so adjusted on theirsupporting-bars that before the dynamocarriage can be shifted in either direction beyond a safe distance one of the trip-pins will engage the switch-lever and swing it to open the motor-circuit and stop the motor which shifts the carriage.

U, Fig. 8, represents a push-button or other circuit-closing device arranged in a shunt-u u of the motor-circuit. The leads of the shunt are connected, respectively, to the terminal r of the motor-circuit and the limitswitch lever. The circuit-closerU is located in the car or at any other convenient point and maintains the shunt normally open, so that the motor-circuit is controlled through the limit-switch. If the limit-switch should be left open-as, for instance, might be the case when the car comes to a stop before the shifting movement of the dynamo has been changed and the switch-lever released-the motor-circuit can be closed at the circuitcloser U and the motor again set in operation.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, electricallycontrolled mechanism for causing the relative movement of said generator, and means controlling said mechanism for limiting the relative movement of said generator, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, electrically controlled mechanism for causing the relative movement of said generator, a device controlling said mechanism for limiting the relative movement of said generator, and movable means for operating said device, substantially as set forth.

3.- The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, electrically controlled mechanism for causing the relative movement of said generator, a device controlling said mechanism for limiting the relative movement of said generator, and devices movable with said generator for operating said device, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, an electric motor and connections which operate upon a variation of speed of said generator for causing the relative movement of said generator, a switch controlling the operating-circuit for said motor to limit the relative movement of said generator, and means movable with said generator for operating said switch, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, an electric motor and connections which operate upon a variation of speed of said generator for causing the relative movement of said generator, a switch-lever arranged adjacent to said enerator and controlling the operating-current for said motor to limit the relative movement of said generator, and trip devices arranged on opposite sides of said switch-lever and movable with said generator to operate said switch-lever, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable relative to said driving element to vary the speed of the generator, drive connections between said driving element and the generator, an electrically-controlled mechanism for causing the relative movement of said generator, means controlling the operating-circuit for said mechanism for limiting the relative movement of said generator, and means independent of said controlling means for closing said operating-circuit, substantiallyas set forth.

7. The combination of a driving element having a variable speed, a generator movable ICO relative to said driving element to Vary the means, and a circuit-closing device in said 10 speed of the generator, drive connections beshunt, substantially as set forth.

tween said driving element and the genera- Witness my hand this 14th day of June, tor, an elect-rically-controlled mechanism for 1902. I

5 causing the relative movement of said genr 1 erator, means controlling the operating-cir- WILLIAM PURBAYNB" cuit for said mechanism for limiting the rela- Witnesses: tive movement of said generator, a shunt of CHAS. W. PARKER, said operating-circuit around said controlling I JNO. J. BONNER. 

